Ex-leader: Sir Menzies Campbell will join the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and conduct a review of Britain's future military capability.Ex-leader: Charles Kennedy will campaign on European issues and will contribute to major European debates from the front bench.

There are some issues in politics that are worth fighting whenever they rear their head.... am I talking about climate change? Bendy buses? Party donations? No. I am of course referring to the developing spectacle of Calamity Clegg wittering on about his Shadow Cabinet. This really has to stop. Only the LibDems refer to their 'Shadow Home Secretary' whereas everyone else, even the BBC talks of Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesman. That is, after all, what the Liberal Democrats are; a collective spokesman for the few people in society who did not vote for the party currently in Government or Opposition. The foundations of our political system rest on the simple formula of: Her Majesty's Government, Her Majesty's Opposition, and The Third Party.

The Liberal Democrats will continue to kid themselves that they are shadowing Government, but in reality they are hardly even a shadow of a Shadow Cabinet.

Goldsworthy has to steady the NEW Unitary Authority in Cornwall which comes into effect in 2009. She in turn needs to ensure that Cornwall has 6 Lib Dem MPs at the next election. The Conservatives appear to be in a shambles with "political vacuums" all over the county. Goldsworthy will want to take advantage of the historical splits in the conservatives and growing news of proposals by progressive activists who are going to stand candidates at the next election.
Clegg is shrewd in appointing a future leader into this position. He does need to anchor Liberalism in Cornwall.

He needs to anchor Liberalism in Cornwall because the unitary is massively unpopular, and the Lib Dem County Council have been getting a huge amount of stick lately- fire, adult social services- rather than because the Conservatives exist in some kind of vacuum in the county. The irony is that the Lib Dems have no chance of losing control of the new authority (a sad end to the glory days of the independents west of the Tamar) even though they only control one of the districts outright.

Neil, I also understand that Brown is in cahoots with the Libs to ensure that the conservatives do not regain control of Cornwall. Goldsworthy is strong on local communities and comes across with honesty and common sense which gives her respect. I believe she was successful with her sustainable Communities Bill, which is clearly a good one for Cornwall.
As for the conservatives they are fighting like ferrets in a sack and their PPCs are pathetic except for the one in South East Cornwall.
Clegg has certainly pulled a good one here in putting Goldsworthy in this job.

This dishonest two faced dustbin party which gets in the way of proper clear choices, and helps muck up political debate, and would do grave damage to our country if they were allowed a casting vote on every matter.
They should be destroyed - not accommodated.

It is encouraging that the Tories are sharpening up tax policy - although I'd like to see a bit more emphasis on income tax and how to replenish Brown's raided pensions. But I am quite pleased with the measures announced so far.

I was rather amused by Clegg's comment that he has the best team in British politics. I can't look at any of their team and say "yes, the Lib Dem spokesman is better in his or her field than their Labour or Conservative counterpart".

There is nothing exceptional about any of them. Crazy Europhilia and nationalisation everywhere.

Vince Cable is filling a position that the Conservatives don't even have, and Harriet Harperson is the Labour deputy leader, so you're right on that one. Rather hilarious the thought that he might be better than Osbourne though.

Equally Alexander as Chief of Staff, I hardly think that is a position that deserves mention when considering the strengths of a political party.

Huhne doesn't have the force, desire or knowledge of Davis. He doesn't even have a personality to make up for it. Davis comes across as a man with principles and a man who has a grip on home affairs. I can't even remember hearing what Huhne has to say on the issues, so how he is a better potential Home Secretary I have no idea.

Whenever I have Goldsworthy speak, I just think I'm hearing the views of a student union officer or a hairdresser might say. That is certainly not a compliment.

Utter rubbish, the lot of them. All they can do is nasty, back-stabbing campaigns. Put them in charge and you can see what happens: people vote them out. Happening in councils all over the country.

Charles Kennedy’s appointment to campaign on European issues may be welcomed by advocates of closer EU integration, as he appeared to connect better with the electorate than any of the other LD leaders, and thus could be considered to stand some chance of winning over a generally sceptical electorate to the EU integrationist cause. If so, this must be further encouragement to those who want to see this nation’s sovereignty restored and powers returned from Brussels to get their act together and campaign and to convince voters of the importance of this issue. Who better to lead on this than David Cameron, whose leadership ability has been seen, (e.g. in his leadership campaign and during the summer and autumn with his contribution to turning around our standing with voters). Furthermore, he was acclaimed for the way he recently dealt with immigration (in that case, for tackling a ‘core votes’ theme pragmatically, taking the ‘racial’ aspect out of it), so could he do something similar with this? That is, to motivate the electorate on the importance of restoring sovereignty lost to the EU, say while not appearing obsessive on this issue?

I think Vince Cable will be an effective Treasury spokes-liberal (not getting into that debate) and there may well be opportunities for Tory-Liberal ambushes on government financial business (anyone else noticed one Cleggism: they're Liberals again. He's woken up to the appeal of "liberal Conservative" I think). I can't think that Cable is a tax and spendite.

But. Huhne v Smith v Davies: it's a Davies knockout. So Huhne got the Home Affairs brief. Interesting. Clegg doesn't feel able to humiliate the man who came within 500 votes of beating him. So the chances of a coherent Liberal narrative being written between now and the election is vanishingly small. The "Are we liberals or are we social democrats" agonising endless debate will continue to dominate any Liberal "team" meeting.

I don't really know any of the others. Because it's nearly Christmas I won't write what I think about Sarah Teather. A party that has her on its front bench, though, rather than licking stamps (if only to stop her from talking), is probably in the grip of an intellectual crisis.

Sarah Teather's non appointment as a potential Secretary of State for Business says it all. Last week she was trying to convince us that her Guantanamo constituent had popped off to Afghanistan on a Club 18-24 cut price deal.

Has the hamster ever actually held down a job in the private sector; in between leaving "uni" and becoming the youngest MP.

One can just see her addressing the CEOs of the FTSE 100 at the Mansion House.

They are just not a serious party. As Dave pointed out in his reply to the Queens Speech, even Tories will be supporting Dawn Butler at the next Election.